Dear all,
 
The Max-Kade German Residence in North Quad is now accepting applications for 2021-2022.  Please apply by Thursday, January 21.
 
If you are interested in pursuing a research internship at the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) in Aachen between mid May and late July 2021, you can apply by Friday, January 15.
 
Yiddish an der UofMHere and here are flyers for courses and activities at UofM related to Yiddish. Here is more info from Elena Luchina, who can answer any questions you have (eluchina “at” umich.edu):
  • Yiddish 102/German 128 has no prerequisites, is open for beginners and will be very easy for German speakers. Students who are interested to continue after this course and take two semesters of Second Year Yiddish in 2021-2022 are eligible to apply for a FLAS scholarship that covers full tuition for that year (deadline: January 2021)
  • JUDAIC 318 – Jewish languages is a meet together class shared with the Germanic Languages and Literatures department. There are no prerequisites for this course, but knowledge of German will help better connect to the Yiddish material, like episodes from popular Netflix shows Shtisel and Unorthodox.
  • The singing circle/jam is open for all students – again, knowledge of German makes it more exciting!
 
You may have seen that Pfizer’s new Covid vaccine was developed by a Turkish-German husband-and-wife team, Drs. Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci. When he was a child, Dr. Şahin’s elementary school teacher assigned him to a “Hauptschule,” an educational track that would have left him without an Abitur degree and thus without the possibility of pursuing a medical degree. Only the intervention of a neighbor, who saw the potential of the young boy, enabled him to enroll in a “Gymnasium.”  You can read their story here.
 
Here is a video by the Bundesregierung about COVID-19, which uses some humor to encourage young people to stay at home during the current “second wave.”
 
Please email Mary Gell (magell “at” umich.edu) to find out if “German Convo on the Go” will take place one more time this Tuesday. “German Convo, Home Edition” will continue to focus on games for the remainder of the semester. See the “Upcoming Deadlines and Events” section in the full email (below) for the next conversation opportunities, and the “Conversation Hours, German Lab” section in the full email (below) for general information about “German Convo, Home Edition,” and the Max Kade Kaffeestunde and Deutschtisch, all taking place weekly.
 
The Course Guide for Winter 2021 courses is online.  Here is the list of German dept. classes offered in Winter 2021. Please note that the list also includes a wide variety of interesting courses in English. If you have questions please contact our advisors, Mary and Kalli. Mary and Kalli are available for virtual meetings. You may also still be able to schedule virtual meetings with our Peer Advisors. See also the “German Courses & Majoring/Minoring in German” section below.

Other highlights from this week’s email, and what section to check for more details:

  • Conversation Opportunities – Conversation Hours, German Lab
  • Study Abroad, Internships, Scholarship Deadlines – Study Abroad/Internships/Scholarship Info
  • Advising Info – German Courses & Majoring/Minoring in German
  • Conversation Partner Options – Miscellaneous
  • International Center Global Engagement and Education Abroad email list – Miscellaneous
  • Student Resources for Learning Remotely; Virtual BlueCorps office hours for students – Miscellaneous
  • Reserving Study Spaces & Adjusting Your Study Habits During COVID – Miscellaneous
  • FU Best Lectures Series – Miscellaneous
  • Finding German Films and Series Online – Miscellaneous
  • Arts & Culture “Attend at Home” event listings – Local Events and Opportunities
  • Democracy & Debate Theme Semester Events – Local Events and Opportunities
 
German Conversation Hour: “German Convo Home Edition” (Wednesday, November 18, 6-7 p.m., Virtual)
 
 

German Club: “Stammtisch” (Thursday, November 19; 7-8 p.m., Virtual)

 

Max-Kade Event: “Kaffeestunde” (Thursday, November 19; 8-9 p.m., Virtual)

 
Max-Kade Event: “Deutschtisch” (Sunday, November 22; 6-7 p.m., Virtual)
 
 
“Symphony of Now” (Friday, November 20; 11 p.m., Virtual)
 
George Valenta Scholarship 2020/2021 for Max-Kade Residents (Monday, November 16; Application Deadline)
 
 
LSA Bonderman Fellowship – Information Session (Friday, November 20; 12-1 p.m., Virtual)

The German Lab is a virtual office hour taking place Monday-Thursday 1-4 pm. You can ask shorter and longer questions, come for conversation practice, help with homework etc. Here is more info about the German Lab – please take advantage of this great resource! Please sign up in advance on the German Lab Signup: instructors will check the signup at the beginning of their German Lab hour, and will leave the lab for that hour if no one has signed up.

German Convo on the Go” (Tuesdays 3-4) and “German Convo Home Edition” (Wednesdays 6-7) will meet weekly – but note “German Convo on the Go” may not meet anymore this semester – see the beginning of this email! More details:

  • German Convo on the Go” will take place in person, outdoors, Tuesdays from 3-4. Meet at the Bell Tower facing the League between 5-5:10 and then, weather permitting, we’ll head out from there for a chat and stroll. Email Mary Gell at magell@umich.edu if you are late and need to find the group.
  • German Convo Home Edition” will take place remotely each week, regardless of the weather conditions on the internet (haha). For the remainder of the Fall semester, it will focus on games. Here is the Zoom link.
  • All students at all levels are welcome to come and chat in German at both meetings!

Look for links to Max Kade events (Kaffeestunde, Deutschtisch, Yoga auf Deutsch) in the “Upcoming Deadlines and Events” section!

LRC Conversation Partner Site

Go to this page to sign up or find a conversation partner. Please notify the LRC if you notice problems (e.g. outdated records etc.). Don’t be shy: the more people sign up, the better the site will work!

Ann Arbor Stammtisch

  • We assume Stammtisch is on hiatus for now. Please let us know if you have information about virtual meetings of the Stammtisch, so we can include it here!
  • A German Stammtisch meets once a week, usually on Thursdays at 8:00 pm at Grizzly Peak or another bar near Main Street. Join the email list to stay up-to-date on where and when the group will meet.
  • There’s also a facebook page: look for “German Table / Stammtisch”
  • Alternatively, contact Mechthild Heerde-Olind at heerdeolind@yahoo.com for the current location and for more information.
  • This is NOT something you can do to make up an absence, but you can still go for fun and/or write about it for an AMD.
See the “Upcoming Deadlines and Events” section for this week’s German Club activities!
 
The German Club works to connect students of all levels with a passion for German language and culture to opportunities for language practice, cultural events, and networking! This semester, its events have been adjusted to allow for fully remote participation, and you are encouraged to come to as many or few as you would like! In addition to virtual Stammtisch (German conversation table), the German Club will offer online game nights where you can win German Club swag, virtual German cook-alongs, tutoring, and more.

Email germaneboard@umich.edu to get put on the email list, or “like” the club on Facebook at facebook.com/germanclubumich for updates!

Faculty Advisors Mary Rodena-Krasan & Kalli Federhofer

Contact our two faculty advisors, Mary or Kalli, for advice on study abroad, internships abroad, a German major/minor, upper-level German courses, career opportunities in German, study-abroad and work-abroad opportunities, etc.

German Peer Advisors/Mentors

If you would like to get in touch with a peer mentor in our Department, please write to: germanmentors@umich.edu. Their expertise includes:

  • Current classes and potential courses
  • Study abroad, internship, and traveling in Germany
  • Academic requirements (major/minor, LSA language requirement) and combination (engineering, pre-health, etc.)
  • Max Kade House
  • Departmental scholarships/fellowships
  • On- and off-campus German opportunities (German Club, German Day, etc.)
  • Career/job search
  • Getting involved – enhancing your undergraduate experience with the German Department

This page will only include entries in this category when there is a job/internship etc. aimed at German students at all levels. To see more internship and job opportunities, scroll through Kalli’s blog, addressed to all upper-level German students

Max-Kade German Residence 2021/2022 (Thursday, January 21; Application Deadline)
 
Check out the arts.umich.edu “Attend at Home” event listing for this week. Each week’s listing includes a wide range of exciting events, including
  • that week’s Penny Stamps Lecture (A high-profile artist or public figure speaks about their work each week. These lectures are a highlight of UM’s intellectual life. If you aren’t aware of this series, please read more about the Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series here, where you can also see a list of upcoming speakers)
  • virtual exhibits, lectures, discussions etc.

Check out the website for the Democracy & Debate Theme Semester for other upcoming events!

There are two German Department facebook groups:

  • “German Advising at University of Michigan” [Read news here!]
    • Join this group to see much of the information you see in this email, as well as other relevant info, in the form of individual announcement posts.
  • “German Program at University of Michigan – Vorwärts Blau!” [Post things here!]
    • You are encouraged to join this group to in order to read and post interesting/fun items related to German language and culture. If you have trouble joining the group or posting something, please email Hartmut!

AND there is a German Department facebook page. Check it out: https://www.facebook.com/umichGerman/

You can find weekly updates similar to this email but with lots more content on this blog.

We also encourage you to join us on our LinkedIn site: ‘University of Michigan German Department’

You can also follow us on Twitter: @umichGerman

Conversation Partner Options: Various options for finding conversation partners are listed on this page.

Sign up here for the International Center’s Global Engagement and Education Abroad email list. Weekly emails include info on workshops regarding travel and work abroad, conversation groups, cultural info sessions etc. SEHR interessant!

The Study Spaces at U-M website helps you find and reserve study spaces on campus.

Study Advice: “Adjusting Your Study Habits During COVID”

  • If you are looking for ways to structure studying under these new circumstances, here is some great advice for adjusting your study habits. VIELEN Dank to the German Club’s Paul Chamberlain for finding this. It is full of excellent advice. I am a big fan of the “Pomodoro method” for focussed “mono-tasking.”

Student Resources for Learning Remotely; Virtual BlueCorps office hours for students

FU Best Lectures Series

Check out the FU/Best Lecture series (e.g. for an AMD in German 101, 102 or 221/231). A 45-minute lecture is released each Wednesday; a recording of the Lecture can be accessed anytime after that date (just expand the description to see the link). Topics include e.g. Jewish-German Life – Then and Now; Young Culture: Hip Hop and Street Art as Expressions of Youth Identity in Germany; Multicultural Berlin: The Dynamics of Muslim Cosmopolitanism; etc.

Finding German Films and Series